A Shift in Perspective
by shiftingshadows963
Summary: He heard it all the time, the names they called him. Everyone thought he was a moron, a simpleton, but what if he was smarter than anyone could imagine? What he had a reason for acting the way he does, and what if they figured this out? Set before Arkham Asylum and after Origins.
1. Chapter 1

**Shadow; I'm sorry for this, but I just couldn't get it out of my head. I know I should be updating my other one, but I can't seem to focus on it with this plot running rampant through my head. If it's a little hard to follow just know that the main characters are supposed to be smart, so they might jump to conclusions or something fast. I wasn't even going to post this…I own nothing.**

Summary: He heard it all the time, the names they called him. Everyone thought he was a moron, a simpleton, but what if he was smarter than anyone could imagine? What he had a reason for acting the way he does, and what if they figured this out? Set before Arkham Asylum and after Origins.

Chapter 1

It was a bright day on Arkham Island, but even through the sunlight the island was depressing. Nothing but gray slabs of stone made up the buildings, and no amount of ivy could cheer it up. It practically screamed prison. Even the doctors felt imprisoned within the island. Or at least she did. She thought that some of the more iffy doctors actually liked it here personally, no matter what they claimed. There was no way they couldn't with the manic grins they gave when no one was looking. _CreeEEepy._

As the newest doctor at the asylum Janice didn't feel very hopeful. How was one supposed to heal a mind when they thought they were imprisoned? It was maddening to even think about. She read about the tract record this place held and just knew it would end badly for her. Very badly. Especially with who she was in charge of.

She only really had two main patients, the others were temporary and easily fixed. So far she feared one of her main ones and was convinced that the other would one day turn her into one of the inmates. And she had only been here a few months. _Oh JOY…_

With a sigh she unlocked the door to her office and strolled in. Pale gray walls met her eyes, the only uplifting thing about it being the knick-knats she decorated with. Everyone had been overworked lately due to the vigilante knocking out wack jobs out every other night and frankly she was tired of it. On top of that Blackgate was shifting over some of their nuttier convicts. That's how she obtained her scarier patient. She had to give a nod to the sizable pay increase because of him though. She bought a new convertible with that little nest egg already. She didn't really know why she had him though. Janice had been expecting all the dangerous psychos to go the most experienced therapists. She had only finished internship a few months ago!

She bounced over to her rolly chair and collapsed in it, trying to find anything to distract her wondering thoughts. Nervously she shifted her name plaque waiting for the guard to tell her when it was safe to head to the interrogation room (therapy room). Gray green eyes glared at the smudged metal, this not being the first time she played with it. She didn't want to go! She didn't care if it was childish, he terrified her and he knew it. If it wasn't for the money she would refuse. Her not so shiny name plate mocked her, daring her to call herself a doctor.

 _Not today name plaque!_ Today she kind of had a plan. She even had it worked out with the warden and the other doctors! Now if only _he_ would cooperate then everything would go according to plan. Her fellow therapists had already started with the plan, and seven patients had been tested. If this went well she might even get a raise!

Janice squealed and dropped her name plate when unexpected knocking startled her. Well it was kind of unexpected.

"Dr. Dials? It's time," she panicked at the smooth tones of her armed guard, rushing to a fro to get all her papers in her briefcase. _Should have done this before._

Smoothing down her skirt she stood and walked out the door with her head held high, only stopping when she realized she left her briefcase on her desk. With a quick detour she was ready…ish. Her already pale knuckles were squeezed white over the handle, trying to not let her shaking be noticeable. If the guard noticed her hyperventilating he said nothing. All too soon they reached a familiar door where she just knew nightmares waited. At least to her. It even had a human sized dent by the door knob.

 _Don't panic don't panic. Remember he can smell fear. Literal fear._

Sucking in a deep breath she opened the metal door and shuffled inside, sitting with a professionalism she didn't feel. Her hands shook so she hid them in her lap and cleared her dry throat. She looked up. And squeaked. He snorted and leaned back, causing his chair to give an ominous groan. _Poor chair._

She couldn't help but wonder how it could even hold him up. It was a marvel all on its own. He was 850 pounds of pure muscle, and she doubted that the chair was even a pound. It just seemed like a lot of stress to put on something so small. _No! Focus!_ She cleared her throat again.

"Mr. Jones, I know we haven't gotten off to a good start," understatement of the century. She had taken one look at him before screaming and running away at their first meeting. "But I'm willing to compromise." He just watched her from his towering height, even when sitting down.

Other than his deep rhythmic breathing was pure silence. _That's a good sign right? Meant he was listening. Oh God, please don't panic._

"The other day I overheard you complaining about your food intake, and I am willing to pay for you to eat a whole extra meal if you are willing to fill out this test," she opened the case and pulled out a pile of papers, larger than normal papers. She even had a larger that normal pencil. She bought it from dollar tree so she didn't expect it to last long.

Dark green scales shone under the harsh light, only enforcing the fact that he was different, and could kill her before she could even blink. _No no no no! Bad thoughts bad thoughts!_ She let out a shaky breath and tried not to look directly at his teeth or his claws. She glanced down at the black clawed fingers despite herself.

She squeaked and flailed when he leaned forward and flattened his huge hand on the table. It groaned under the pressure and she just knew it would leave a sizable dent, one that matched the others on the table and walls. _When did he put those there?_ Gray eyes flickered from the wall into gold ones and she stopped breathing. The eyes of a predator, and she knew who he was hunting. He smirked, which was odd considering his abnormality. Did it hurt? Many doctors were convinced that he was in constant pain due to his condition. As a professional she considered it briefly before throwing it out the window. He was too amused at her fear to be in terrible pain. Or as she called it, he was an asshole. He could probably smell her fear, which wasn't the least bit comforting.

Suddenly she could swear that the lights dimmed, leaving only a huge killing machine in the sudden dark room.

She breathed in a gasping breath, startling herself as the lights came back full force. _Forgot to breath._ She blinked. He leaned back once more giving out a strange rasping cough. _He's laughing at me? Is that a laugh? That's a good sign, right? I am so going to get eaten._

After releasing a few more terror inducing chuckles he rested his elbows on the poor table. Mr. Jones didn't say anything but with a terrifying grin he picked up the giant pencil and began filling out the forms. Janice stared, trying to calm her heart. His shoulders were hunched over, making the room seem smaller. The grin faded as he wrote.

She took the time to really look at him, this time without panicking. Dark green scales that were almost gray sharply contrasted his white underbelly. Even his chin was that softer white only ending at his nose. She couldn't help up wonder if softer white places were more like actual skin or just smaller scales from the look of them. It was a little strange how his whole front looked almost like skin except for his pectorals. There were large smooth scales there, also white.

He lifted one of his hands do scratch at his cheek, glancing up briefly at her flinch. Once his sharp gaze left her she looked at the paper in her hands. It was all of his info, neatly typed up, barely filling one page. Most of it was about his disease and his size. 9'8, that was _tall!_ She gulped silently and pretended to write stuff down. He could step on her by accident and kill her, just with the claws of one of his feet could end it for her.

He growled low and she squeaked, hands automatically using the paper as a mini shield. He didn't even spare her a glance before tightening his grip on the pencil and hunching farther over the paper. He made the room feel so small. Janice peeked through her papers at him before calming down. _Fascinating._ She should have never left Metropolis. No one threatened to eat her over there. She eyes his protruding teeth. Even with his mouth closed a few poked out.

It took a while for him to complete the test, but once done he thrust it back into her face with a nasty smirk. Papers flew across the room drawing a sound of protest from her throat. He stood up with a groan and popped his back, his head brushing against the high ceiling. He then turned from her and moved for the door, his armed guards ever the ready with guns loaded and aimed.

"Don't forget our deal, Doc. I'll be waiting," he growled out, hints of Cajun in his voice. She shuddered when he finally disappeared from view. The remaining guard began to pick up her papers, to which she appreciated. Shaking herself, Janice helped with the cleanup. She didn't mind too much, she needed something to do to calm herself down and manual labor always worked.

She had some things to add to his chart. Even though she was utterly terrified of the man she was still a trained professional. Just by getting him to take the test was a huge step forward. It said that he could be bargained with, even if it was with something as simple as food. It made her even more curious about his results. Janice didn't really think he was as stupid as everyone else thought, and his test results were going to prove it. How smart he _was_ was up in the air however, so her hopes weren't too high. Though she thought it was higher than 90 at least. There was no way a creature could look at another with such calculation as he did and be lower than 90.

"Here's your test Dr. Dials," she gave the man a hesitant grin as thanks. He smiled back, "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of test is this?" Gray eyes looked at the untidy stack of papers in her hands, needing reordered. Personally she thought it was pretty obvious, but she'd been wrong before.

"It's an IQ test. I was hoping to know just how smart the average super villain is in Gotham," she smiled shyly and brushed back a strand of hair. "And I'll be the first to ask too. I might even get in the papers for this!" pride swelled in her voice and the guard just shook his head good naturedly. He smiled lightly. All the staff had heard of the new genius doctor, and had grown to just accept her odd hyperness. They didn't really see how a bunch of criminals could make her eyes light up like that, but he wasn't going to say anything. Last thing they needed was more conflict.

She leaned in as if to tell a secret, cupping her hands by her mouth, "We even got the Joker to take the test! I don't know how though," she shuffled the papers lightly and turned to go. Excitement raced up her spine as she walked with the guard down to her office. If this went through correctly it could really boost her career. Now she just had to drop of the test to be graded.

With a bounce in her step that the staff had come to expect from her she grinned. She was going to be famous, she just knew it.

 **Shadow; so how was it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadow: here the next one, and I'm sorry if croc seems out of character, but if he's going to be a lot smarter he's going to have to think things through. I tried to keep him as in character as possible while keeping to the plot. I'm sorry. Still own nothing. WARNING: Croc uses bad language. Sorry.**

Chapter 2

Dr. Janice Dials stared down at the results printed on the paper with confusion and a hint of dread. It had to be wrong, and they would surly blame her. She didn't know how it was possible, and after the first results came back she even had him retake the test. He took it, with a lot of growls and snarls but he took it. Even the others got retested. And nothing really changed. It couldn't be wrong, they had a test group to make sure nothing was wrong with the test, even double checked. Nothing should have been wrong.

She barely noticed the sharp knock on her door, but when Warden Sharp came in she noticed. He gestured towards the papers and she bit back the refusal. She happened to like her pay check and didn't want to risk it. With a hesitant hand she handed it over and watched his face. His eyebrows rose sharply as he read. _Hehe, how ironic. NO, focus!_

"Are you sure these are accurate?" she nodded and explained the double testing and checks. He sighed. Looked like she wasn't getting into the newspaper after all. _Good bye paycheck._ Way worse than that sad thought was that the problem was currently waiting for her in therapy room B and she had nothing planned.

"You will verify this," he turned to leave and she couldn't help but think that with his high class accent he sounded extra angry. Her door closed behind him. She shuddered and with a loud thump she dropped her head onto her desk. She groaned and did it again. _How am I going to verify this? Without getting eaten in the process._

Gray green eyes peeked round her office, taking in all her knick-knats and professional decorations. With a burning intensity they zeroed in on one object in particular and she absently hummed as she rubbed her sore head. _That might work._

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The metal chair creaked with every move he made, furthering his irritation with every sound. As if sensing his agitation the guards shifted drawing his luminous eyes. The minutes ticked by, feeling like hours. He finally gave in and let loose an animalistic snarl of anger, standing to his full height. He barely noticed the panicked looks his guards exchanged. His mind was on one thing and one thing only.

Dr. Dials was late. To HIS appointment. He felt insulted, humiliated. To think he was actually enjoying his sessions with that woman. He growled at the thought. And now she just forgets about him, HIM the famed Killer Croc! First the collar and now this! What was next, forgetting to feed him? Gold eyes narrowed at the thought. Just let them try it.

He paced with heavy footsteps, conscious of the guns aimed his way. Claws flexed against his palm, promising death. He tried to focus on the click of his claws on the floor, trying to calm down. He knew what would happen if he got too angry. They'd set off his collar, the damned thing. When he found the one responsible for the idea of it he'd rip out their spine. _Not fucking helping!_ He growled again. His breathing sped up, ready to vent his anger. That bitch better hurry or he was going to start going for throats. He stopped.

The guards pushed themselves against the wall farthest from him, awaiting his next move. But he wasn't paying them any attention. Over sensitive ears picked up familiar clicking and he snarled. There she was, the bitch. Suddenly she yelped and he heard a thud and a clatter.

"Ow…" her muffled voice groaned and the voice of some guard tried to help. Croc chuckled, glancing over as the guards flinched. That's why he enjoyed their sessions. The girl was a clumsy coward and he loved making her panic. At their first session she ran screaming at the very sight of him and over the course of their time together he managed to do that twice more. She also didn't ask stupid questions like the other 'doctors' did. You'd think that after he killed the first one they'd stay away from his past. It also helped that she smelled good, not the usual chemical smell women wore but a natural scent. The last doctor at Blackgate had worn some sort of cologne that made him sneeze. Croc didn't eat him, he smelled too bad. Instead he just killed him.

He shook off those thoughts, now was not the time for reminiscing. She was late, that's was he should be focusing on, not her amusing behavior. He couldn't let her just think it was ok to just forget about him. He scowled darkly at the door, watching it open. She didn't even look up, merely walked into the room while shoving something into a box.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, I was held up by Mr. Sharp but I'll… um…," she raised her eyes to his, shuddering to a halt. Gray eyes widened with panic and she began to shake lightly. He knew that look, she was going to run again. Normally he would gladly let her but not today, no, today he only felt irritated. He wasn't going to let her flee this time. No, if she took off he was going to give chase, and he knew that the moment he caught her she was going to die. Best to not let her trigger his instincts. When she fled before he had been too amused to give into his killer habits. She edged back towards the door and he growled.

That did it. With a squeak she shot off to the door, only a few feet from her. But he was faster, much faster. Claw tipped fingers shoved the door shut, the pressure leaving a dent in the shape of his hand. She was too slow to register that her escape was cut off and she hit the door, rebounding off and onto the floor. He gave a dark chuckle, sneering at her, only to be cut off by sparks of electricity. He gripped his collar trying in vain to stop the pain. His head shot up to the guard holding the remote, memorizing his face. A dead man walking, and he didn't even know it yet.

"STOP!" the yell startled the guard into letting go and gold eyes swiveled to the woman now trying to stand, her feet barely holding her up. "Give me the remote," despite the overwhelming fear he smelled off of her, she held quite a lot of force to her commands. _Amusing bitch._ This attitude was new, something he hadn't seen from her before. He glanced at her gray eyes, hard and cold, holding just a touch of panic. He tilted his head slightly, allowing his sore neck to pop. Usually her eyes were kind of clouded, like she wasn't in the same plane of existence as everyone else, only when she noticed him watching her would that change.

He tuned out the guards protests, taking in this new information. This was the first time that the slip of a woman showed even a hint of a backbone, and what an odd thing to show it for. Instead of using it at all when he intimidated and threatened her she instead chose to use it for when one of the guards were trying to protect her from him. Not that he had been trying to kill the bitch, he just wanted her to understand that tardiness was not allowed. Absently he scratched at his chest, avoiding the sore skin around the collar. What could he do to make her use that same assertiveness on him? _That thought was oddly arousing._ And did he even what her to? He looked at her face seeing the occasional glance his way, each time had her eyes clouding over in fear like he was use too. He had a lot to think about later.

"M-Mr. Jo-Jones, if you would take a seat… please?" Croc did, seeing how she tried and failed to meet his eye, or even his face for that matter. She ended up looking down and nervously playing with the box in her hand. On the table in front of her sat the remote he loathed so much. Looked like she was going to pretend what just happened didn't happen. He smirked. He could play along. Already this session was proving to be most interesting. "Um... Mr. Jones? I was wondering if you would be willing to participate in a game?" Well that was unexpected. Gold eyes narrowed on her face, trying in vain to detect any ill will. Last time someone said that, or something similar, it had ended with him being tricked.

"What do I get if I win?" priorities first of course. She looked up with a dumbfounded look on her face. He leaned back, smirking as he waited for her answer. If she was going to buy him food for a test he was definitely expecting something for this. The chair groaned. She gaped at him still and his smirk faded, only to be replaced with a scowl. By now she should know that he didn't like being stared at. A spike of fear and she looked down. He scoffed. Such a wuss.

"FOOD!" Croc gave a start and looked at her. She reddened and slapped a hand to her mouth. Wide eyes stared at him in shock as if HE had been the one to say that. A chuckle escaped him, drawing a horrified look from the woman. _So amusing._ "I mean, um… I could bring you some food? If you want? Maybe some kind that they don't serve here?" she looked down, her face still red and began to open the box, drawing out a checkered patterned board. After that came a smaller box filled with odd figurines. His eyes narrowed. He didn't know how to play this game. Maybe it was a trick?

" Like if you were craving something or um…" she looked up again noticing his look, " I'll teach you to play and you'll have more than one chance to beat me, though we don't have much time for more than one game today," that was reasonable. She set the board between him and moved the pieces into position, naming each one as she did so. Then came the rules. Croc focused on her words, not seeing the spark enter her eye or the gleeful looks his concentration brought to her.

"Pizza, if I win I want pizza," his rasping voice growled out, startling her. She nodded quickly.

Dainty hands held out two pieces for him to choose from, letting him pick his side. White or black. He snorted and rolled his eyes. One clawed finger tapped the black queen before she could panic at his closeness. She squeaked and set the pieces back into place. Then the game was on. She moved first, a pawn if he remembered correctly. He mimicked the move, being careful with his claws to not knock down any of his side. Even still he left scratches in the wood.

He watched her moves, trying to see what she was planning, her reasoning. He took the first piece with a proud smirk even if it was only a pawn. Then she sprung a trap, taking his knight. Croc narrowed his eyes, plans being discarded as fast as he thought them. The next time she took a piece he smirked at her and took her bishop, leaving her gaping at the move she didn't see. It continued at that pace for what felt like hours, and when it drew to a close he felt mild panic to see him losing. He looked for ways to turn it around but the pieces he needed were already taken. He glared at her. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting. She stared back at him when he changed his tactic, choosing to forgo any form of caution.

Like he predicted she won, but judging by her confusion and slight panic it was not an easy victory. Gray eyes looked up at him, watching him closely. He scowled. Croc hated losing, always had, even as a child. No matter what it was he wanted to win, be it fights, card games or challenges. That was one of the reasons he hated batman so much, he made him lose and rubbed it in his face. He growled lowly causing the guards to shift closer and his doctor to flinch and pale. _When I get my hands on that batfreak I'm going to gut him._ He wanted to go back to his cell in the sewers, before someone even mentions his loss. If she showed just one _hint_ of a gloating smile and he'd rip off her legs.

"That was a really good game for your first time, we will have to play again at your next session," somehow she managed to keep a steady voice even as her hands shook. He just glared at her, rising from his seat. With one last look at the board he turned to leave, letting the guards open the door for him. Next time he wasn't going to lose.

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Janice stayed in her seat staring at the board in front of her long after he left, just reeling in from the game. That was unexpected. She spent the first half trying to demonstrate how to play and ended up fighting for victory more than she should of. This was his first game! He shouldn't have put up such a fight. But then he had changed the entire game about a two thirds into the game and she was left floundering. Where she thought was a safe move ended up with her on the run or when he hit her traps he ended up taking her piece instead. It was so odd and liberating at the same time.

She looked down at the results in her lap, intrigued beyond words. No simpleton could of given her such a stimulating game. But was he really as smart as the paper said? She bit her lip, absently beginning to clean up. Croc would need to do more testing for sure, but she was leaning towards yes. Maybe a puzzle next time? Rubik cube? She smiled at the thought. Maybe her Tuesday and Thursday sessions with him wouldn't be so bad if they came to an understanding. Food for cooperation. But first things first. She needed to buy him a pizza.

 **Shadow: sorry again. I'm planning on him still acting on his more violent impulses, it's just going to be more thought out. I'm sure many of you who actually read this thought he should of responded more when he got electrocuted, and all I'm going to say is patience. This croc holds a grudge and isn't going to forget it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadow: And here's another one. Not a really interesting one in my opinion, but there needs to be time between what I have in store for Janice. It's going to be amusing for me to write, and awkward for her to go through. I'm sorry about the Riddler in this one, I'm not sure how to write him. He probably is out of character. Sorry again. WARNIG. Language. Croc cusses I'm afraid. I always viewed him as the cussing sort. Own nothing but Janice. And thanks for all the ones who reviewed. It makes me feel better about all this. And sorry if anything is odd with this, my Microsoft word is messing up so I will have to switch to a different word processor soon.  
**

Chapter three

Today was going to be a bad day, she just knew it. It was one of those days where every little thing seemed to end badly. And it started early too. Janice had woken up around two in the morning to find out that her heating failed in the night, leaving her shaking and in need of more blankets. After that horrible wakeup call she missed her alarm and woke up forty minutes later than usual. And to add to that it was sleeting. Now here she was running through the asylum trying to make her first appointment for the day. _At least it's not Croc._ She shuddered. He was not one for tardiness if her last session with the man was anything to go by.

She had stayed up late last night typing up his newest info into the computer. She even added the video and audio to his electronic files. It took longer than it should have. The whole time she ended up stopping repeatedly to remember exactly how he acted at each moment, or what his motives could have been for each move across the board, or even how his eyes would light up when he had an idea. Honestly, the man was more fascinating than he had any right to be. And even more fearsome too. She was almost excited for her session with him tomorrow, she hadn't had such a good chess opponent in years.

Suddenly she stopped, realizing that she missed her door. Janice groaned. Even now he was distracting her. She turned on her heel, looking for therapy room 4A. _Stop thinking about Croc! Focus on Mr. Nigma! He's the next patient!_ She wasn't looking forward to this. Ever since someone let the Riddler know about the uniform testing he had been more unstable than usual. Always demanding to know where he stood against the competition, arrogant even. He assumes that he scored the highest, and was taking her silence as confirmation. She really did want to tell him is score, but Warden Sharp didn't want the info getting out. All because they had a scaly genius.

Janice almost groaned when she found the right door, she really didn't want to be at work today. But she couldn't call in when she was already here. With a sigh she straightened her coat and felt her hair bumps, frowning when she realized she forgot to put it up. Too late now. With that she opened the door, drawing the attention of the guard inside and the patient.

"Your late," she almost winced at the tone. Looked like E. Nigma didn't like waiting on her either.

"I'm aware Mr. Nigma," She didn't say anything else, just shuffled over to her seat across from the brunette. She glanced up at him meeting his angry green eyes. He was glaring at her from behind his glasses, sizing her up. With a scoff he looked away, clearly not impressed with his doctor. She felt her lips thin at the insult.

"And what are you going to attempt to get me to talk about today Dr. Dials? My father again? Hmm? Perhaps my ' _obsession'_ with winning?" he was mocking her again, like always. A nasty little smile on his face. At least with Croc she wasn't constantly being belittled about every little thing she did. _No, stop it, calm down. Focus._ She didn't like being mocked. She took out her pen, trying to find anything to distract her from her rising anger.

"No, how about we discuss why you feel it necessary to prove your superiority over everyone else," Janice bit back a cringe, not meaning it to come out so rude. Something about the guy just brought out her worst side. She looked him in the eyes, seeing how his vile green orbs narrowed at her in fury.

"I don't have to _prove_ anything doctor, it's already quite obvious. Just take a look at my test score, I'm sure that would attest to my brilliance," he smirked at her. Daring her to say otherwise. _Oh how I hate that arrogant!_ As a distraction she pretended to write something down, noticing how his eye twitched at her dismissal.

"I believe the reason you try to prove yourself so much is due to a lack of recognition as a child. Perhaps your father didn't pay enough attention or your teachers didn't give you the credit you felt you deserved?" She shouldn't of said that, even she thought the words stung. Too late now. Mr. Nigma gave her a look that could have melted ice with his anger. She long ago found that he was more likely to tell the truth if his composer broke or if he was mad. Or at least the truth from his point of view. But it didn't work if he was too angry.

"My _teachers_ were nothing more than mindless lackeys trying to make my moron classmates get out of their class, and my _father_ couldn't see true brilliance if it shot him in the HEAD!" He was standing at that point, his face red. She took notes, realizing that that was a touchy subject. Perhaps she was more on mark than she thought. The questioning continued for the rest of the session at a similar pace, him mocking her and her infuriating him. The guard had taken position at that point, grabbing the raging man by his elbow. She gave him a nod, giving him the green light to take him back to his cell. Once the Riddler was in a rage she could get nothing out of him.

Then it was just her in the small room, and she felt tired. Not physically, but mentally. That man had so many triggers it wasn't funny, and she had to side step all of them while riling him up safely. Janice placed her head in her hands and leaned back with a groan. Today was a bad day, and it was just starting. Gray eyes peeked at the clock on the white wall. She gave another groan. In twenty minutes she had another patient to work with. She couldn't wait for this day to end.

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Croc paced, rhythmic claws soothing his raging mind. Back and forth, forward and back again. He would deny it if asked, not that anyone would, but he knew what was wrong. To an extent. Today he was scheduled for a trip to the doctor, not his amusing coward, but a real doctor. The kind that poke and prod just because he was different. _They think I'm just so fucking fascinating, like some kind of messed up lab rat._ He growled.

He didn't like doctors, plain and simple. Never had.

He could practically feel his guards panicking on the other side of the door, and if he didn't calm down, they'd shoot him. Again. Not with a real gun but with one of those tranquilizers they favored so much. He hated the things, hated how woozy he felt afterwards and how he was so defenseless during it. _Would rather be shot with real bullets._ He had to calm down. But that was the problem. He didn't have anything to calm him.

Croc snarled, clenching his claws into his palm. He needed a distraction, a something to make him think. _Like Dr. Dials._ He stopped mid stride, startled by the thought. He didn't like where that thought could lead. There was no way he was going to depend of some bitch _doctor_ to fix his rage. But even still he found himself thinking about his last session. He hated to admit it but she was… different, treated him different. Sure she feared him, only a moron wouldn't, but she still tried. Tried to act as if he was still human, and that damn test started it all. She had made a deal, with HIM, and kept it. Then did it again later with another test.

But the most interesting was that game. She had stopped smelling of fear, a scent that was so normal to him he had startled when it vanished. And the most damning of all was that he _liked_ it when it was gone, not his usual amusement, no, something else. _It had felt normal._ Like two regular people playing a game, not a monster convict and his doctor, but just two people. Croc wasn't use to feeling normal, the most normal he felt was in a circus. And then only around a blind child. But Dr. Dials wasn't blind. _Must be something wrong with her._

He snorted. How ironic that the only one to treat him human was a nut. An amusing nut. At least she wasn't like the Joker or Harley. Those two drove him mad, always with the croc jokes. And there not even original jokes either. He grimaced at the reminder. It seemed that every time he saw them they were worse, more insane. And the doctors still tried. He heard of Jokers last doc, hell the whole asylum knew. The guy had to be locked up like the rest of the freaks.

Suddenly he was broken from his thoughts by the door opening, revealing several armed guards ready to take him up top. He blinked, realizing he had stopped his pacing at some point in favor of staring at the wall. With a curl of his lips he went with the men, ready to get it over with. _Can't believe I got distracted by her and she's not even here!_ Bitch.

Soon he was marched down the halls and into the elevator that barely fit him, putting a crick in his already sore neck. You'd think they would make something more suitable for him, he just knew he was stressing the weight limit on the thing. He figured he survive the fall, but not unscathed. Then he'd be trapped down there. His hands twitched at the thought. There was only one other guard in the room with him, ready to stop his ride if anything went wrong, while more waited for him at either exit. Gold eyes watched the smaller male, not recognizing his face. He made a habit of knowing his guards, just so he could come back later and kill them if they pissed him off. He already had a mental list of who he was going for first. They liked to shift the guards around so his list was pretty long. It wasn't recorded with names, no he knew them by scent and face. What was the point of naming his food?

The guard shifted, reaching for the remote just as Croc realized he was growling. He snorted, drawing a flinch from the man. _More like boy._ The elevator slowed to a halt, the doors slowly opening. Five more armed men waited, a few he recognized. With a grunt he pulled himself out of the metal box, breathing deeper with relief. He didn't like the elevator. It was too small. Once he was free they marched him away, a few having to jog to match his stride. Gold eyes rolled, not bothering to slow down. He knew where he was going, he didn't need to be led. They reached the doors out faster this way.

They opened and he breathed deeper, scenting the air. The cold bit into his front, reminding him of where he was weakest. But he didn't mind, it had been over a month since he last was outside. He might like the sewer, but even he got tired of the muskiness. He growled when the guards rushed him along, eager to get him inside. They didn't like him being in the open. Then came the sterile walls, the scent of alcohol making him sneeze. He almost laughed when the guards nearly jumped a foot in the air, only stopping because the smell burned. He could almost feel another sneeze coming.

Looking down he saw different doctors pointing and talking, clearing about him. He scowled. _Bastards._ Sensitive ears heard what they said, they wanted his blood, wanted to run him through machines. He felt his muscles stiffen at the words they said. Talking about him as if he wasn't even there, or maybe as if he didn't understand their words. His eyes narrowed with hate. He felt his rage building, a pressure wanting their death. He could practical feel his thoughts slowing with the rage, just like when the batfreak fought him. Then he smirked. No batfreak here though.

His thoughts stopped when he picked up familiar clicking, this time faster than he's heard before. Scenting the air proved his ears right. _What was the bitch doing here?_ He blinked when she came running out of the double doors to his right, snorting when she bumped into him in her rush. She hit the floor hard, yelling a startling profanity. His brow lifted. Looked like Dr. Dials had a mouth on her. He chuckled lightly, only to laugh harder at her squeak. She finally noticed him. Gray eyes stared up at him with her mouth hanging open. Then he noticed something. Her hair, it was down. He never saw it down before, hell he didn't even notice it was red till now. It fell around her collarbone like a curtain of liquid copper, frizzy liquid copper. She scrambled to her feet, keeping her gaze locked on his. Then ever so slowly she edged back to the still swinging doors. Once out of grabbing distance she turned tail and ran, a high pitch scream echoing behind her. He guffawed at the looks the others threw her, startling the already freaked doctors and guards. It seemed that every time he saw her she was amusing him.

 **Shadow: again I'm sorry. The doctor scene is actually important for the story, but not what actually happens. So you don't have to read about what they do, though it's not much. Latter the results of his blood tests come in and have an effect on the story. Just try to guess what the results are. It's not much but I think it's highly possible and explains much of his behavior in the batman series. Happy Halloween? To those who celebrate it at least. Yay.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shadow; Sorry for the delay, my computer is acting up and my word processer crashed. Also finals are next week and I am in mild panic mode. Just a warning, I won't be able to update in december. The next one will be after. And to all those few who read my other story, its not abandoned, i just like this one more. It will be updated soon-ish. To those who don't read it, don't, it's horrible. WARNING: implied sexual activity at the end of chapter. No details or acual lemon though. There might also be a curse word to two. i don't remember. Might also be out of character, sorry. I own nothing.**

 **Chapter four**

Once more Dr. Janice Dials walked down the dull asylum halls, her personal guard with her like usual slowing to match her bouncing stride. Today was going to be a good day, she could tell. In her hands she held a steaming box, freshly delivered, and with it the hope that her patient would be willing to cooperate with her. It was also positive reinforcement for not mutilating the doctors at his appointment. Yesterday was the first day Mr. Jones had not needed to be sedated for his checkup. Her boss was pleased with this and had even given her a raise even though she had no idea what to make of his behavior change. She hoped the pizza would help him continue his good behavior and her bosses generous mood.

Janice had gotten some weird and slightly greedy looks when she had retrieved her pizza. The look on the delivery guys face had sent her into laughter the moment he left though, making it worth the attention. That poor boy had looked so scandalized, like some loon was going to pop out of no where and steal his shirt or something. Or maybe she was just too desensitized. But the whole experience had brightened her day and for the first time in months she walked into the therapy room with a smile on her face. Then she noticed Mr. Jones, his laid back posture putting stress on the bent chair. _How long has it been bent like that?_

Gold eyes turned to look at her, his green head tilting to sniff the air before he zeroed in of the steaming box. His eyes narrowed at it before eyeing her with suspicion. She faltered under his hard gaze, her smile melting off her face. With hesitant steps she reached her seat, avoiding looking at him completely. He growled and she flinched back, her hold on the food turning her knuckles white. Gray eyes looked up into gold and she squeaked. His eyes looked angry, more so than usual. _This is bad. I'm not equipped to deal with an angry Croc!_ And why was he mad anyway? She wasn't late today, and she even brought pizza! She glanced at the guards, looking for any indicators or culprits. _The guards are usually the problem in Crocs case. Only which one and why?_

Dr. Dials pushed the box slowly towards the maddened crocodile man, her wide eyes watching his every move. At his first sign of violence she was going to make a run for it. And pray that the guards managed to do their jobs. His lips pulled back in a snarl showing more of his lethal teeth and he reached forward to snatch the box to him. His black claws ripped into the box at his quick movement, but he didn't seem to care as he opened the lid to stare inside. She had originally hoped he would like the gift, and had gotten a meat lovers large pizza. Now she just hoped he didn't think she was mocking him.

"The bet was if I win, doc. So whats this?" His eyes narrowed, and all she could do was squeak. _Be professional! He just asked a question! Stop panicking!_ She flushed, clearing her throat to speak.

"Um... I thought that since you... er, gave me a good game you deserved it anyway?" He rose a brow and she twitched, "AND, you acted... good? At the doctors yesterday?" _That wasn't very professional, stop panicking, please stop panicking._ She looked down, her face reddening further at his snort. Gray eyes glanced up when his chair groaned and she squeaked. He towered over her from his seat, gold eyes flashing with anger she didn't understand.

"So what your saying is that if I behave you're going to feed me?" sarcasm laced his rasping growl and he brought his hands to rest on the metal table, boxing in her failed peace offering. The table groaned under the weight, and she knew it was going to be dented again. Janice felt her breathing speed up and confusion set in. _Why is he angry? What happened to make him angry?_ She didn't really think she had done anything, unless he didn't like the pizza? Which didn't make sense since he asked for it. Was he allergic to something on it? _Find out why he's angry and calm him down. Sounds simple enough._ The only problem with that was she didn't know how.

 _"Uh..._ Sometimes? That is if you want me to?" She cleared her throat, forcing herself to sit up straighter in her seat and look him in the eye. " I intended for this to be a reward for positive behavior," Janice felt like shaking, here she was staring down a giant armored male, an angry male. One who could snap her neck with two fingers. _No no no no! Bad thoughts! Be strong!_ Despite herself she found herself looking away and to the guards, all of which looked uneasy but didn't make a move. That's not a bad thing though, if they move it might set him off. The man in front of her snorted and moved back, angry gold shifting to the torn box.

"Whatever you say doc," he opened the box, picking up one of the slices with his claws. He lifted the steaming piece, apparently to examine it in the light before placing it in his mouth. Janice was mesmerized, having never seen the man eat before. The slices looked more like chips in his hands, and even the way he opened his mouth seemed wrong. Like his whole jaw was dislocating before he ripped the food to shreds. _Fascinating_.The pizza was gone almost as soon as he started and with a belch he finished, tossing the box away at one of the guards. She flinched at the noise, drawing his attention. His white mouth twisted in a sneer and she looked at her lap nervously.

"We done now?" his voice growled at her, making her shoulder jerk. Her nervous hands moved to the forgotten box by her feet.

"Er.. no Mr. Jones, I was hoping to..er..play another game before you go," Janice tried to distract herself from his angry grumble by setting the board, once more holding out the queens for him to pick from. His sneer never left his face as he snatched the black piece from her, startling her with the fast movement. She glanced at her hand. Those claws could slice through metal and stone, flesh was nothing to him. If he wanted to he could have ripped the appendage off. _Bad thoughts bad thought. Focus on game!_

Taking a deep breath she made her move, discreetly watching him out of the corner of her eye. His frustration seemed to melt over time as the battle progressed. What moves had once been made with anger were soon made with sly intentions and gleaming eyes. Dainty hands moved her white pieces carefully while large scaled hands moved with purpose. This time she took the first piece. She swore that he was holding back a grin every time she moved. She didn't like that, that meant he had a plan. Or he was trying to unnerve her. Either seemed possible with Killer Croc. _At least he doesn't look ready to kill anyone anymore. That's a plus. He switched moods pretty fast too. I hope he's not bi-polar._

"Checkmate doc," she down from his pleased smirk and her eyes widened. Mentally rewinding she played through his moves, finally seeing his reasoning for seemingly unreasonable moves. Gray eyes narrowed at the board, glancing up to his smug face and down again. Either he came across a happy accident or he planned that from nearly the beginning of the game. Smiling gently, habit broke in.

Mr. Jones stared at her outstretched hand, not making a move. _Why did I do that?! I Should not have done that! Should I lower my hand? Pretend it didn't happen?_ Her breath caught when a large scaled hand seemed to swallow hers in semblance of a handshake. Almost as soon as it happened it was over and he stood to leave. She watched with wide eyes as he turned to the door, waiting for it to open. His back shined under the harsh lighting. If she didn't know her patient as well as she did she would say he hesitated, but she did know him and Mr. Jones never hesitated. Croc turned his head over his shoulder to give her one last look even as the armed guards unlocked the door.

"Thanks for the food, doc," And with that he was gone. Janice felt her brow wrinkle in thought, reviewing all her memories of the man. If she was right than that was the first time he showed any form of manners in Arkham. She grinned. It was an improvement. He was improving, the lost cause was improving. Maybe she wouldn't be famous for that test, but maybe she would as the doctor that cured Croc. _His hands were softer than expected, warm too._ She blinked. That was an odd thought. Shaking it off she cleaned up the board and prepared to leave, but she had one last thing to do before she left. Gray eyes narrowed at her guard.

"Excuse me, could you inform me why my patient was so upset today?" His guilty brown eyes stared beseechingly at her, almost begging her to not need an answer. She tapped her foot. She knew how to play this game, she had twin nephews. Causally crossing her arms under her chest she raised her brow and glared. She had to suppress a smirk when she could practically see him crumble.

"One of the older guards got in a fight with him and shocked him," He looked down. She blinked, wondering who it was to set him off. _The moron shocked him before his session?! Did he not see how dangerous that was for us?!_ Why did he do that? They knew that if Mr. Jones was angry to take him to his cell and not put others in danger. That was against regulation. None of the inmates were allowed in the therapy rooms when riled up. It's been like that ever since Mr. Zsasz killed his doctor after an alteration in the hall before hand. She paled at the thought of what could of happened. Croc was one of those kinds of people who would forgo pain in favor of getting whatever he was doing done. The guards wouldn't of stood a chance if he had attacked. She needed to see the warden about that guard.

"Who was it that provoked him?" He looked up at her before crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't know ma'am," She narrowed her eyes. He was protecting someone, and there was nothing she could do to make him talk. She knew that. Loyalty was one of the most important things here and those who betrayed their coworkers didn't last long. She sighed and left him alone. Maybe she could find the recording in the guard room about what happened. It was important. If not she needed to find out who it was and request he not escort Mr. Jones again. With a groan she left. There was going to be paperwork about this. And the fact she managed to calm him down somehow was going need to be investigated. Maybe if she found out what calmed him they could employ the tactic more often. It was better than shocking the man into submission.

Lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllinebreakllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

 _Teeth grazed over the soft skin of her shoulder as his claws worked her jeans down. His hands were oddly soft against her hips. She gave a moan as a long tongue came out to taste her neck. Hard muscles dug into her chest even as he picked her up. Impatient hands tugged at his pants and he laughed. She felt her face flush._

 _"Whats the rush, doc?"_

…...

She jerked awake panting and stunned. _What the crap was that._ Sweaty hands buried themselves into her hair and she shook. _What was THAT!_ That was unprofessional. That's what that was. Unprofessional and wrong. She was not going to pull a Harley Quinn, nope, no way no how. _Need to stop think about Croc so much. That's why that dream came up. No other reason._ She sat up and looked at the clock only to groan again at the time. 3: 23 am. On her off day too.

Janice turned to the side of her queen bed and rolled off. There was on way she would get back to sleep now, might as well wash the sweat off. Her eyes glanced at her table on the way, remembering her paperwork she still hadn't finished about the culprit. _Bet that's the reason right there._ At least she didn't have to see him till Tuesday, that was good. That would give her three days to get over the dream before coming face to face with the man. A blush rose to her cheeks at the very thought of being in the same room with him. Than she stopped. And paled.

 _How the HELL am I going to look him in the face now._ He's not dumb, he's going to know somethings up. _Only thing left to do is quit and be a hot-dog sells woman. Nothing else is available._ She whimpered. She didn't even like hot-dogs.

 **Shadow: yea, i'm not going to lie, not my best chapter, but I think I got my point accross in it so OK. I think I wrote this about four times in compleatly different ways before this one stuck. I might use the other drafts in later chapters though. Cudos to any who guess who the guard is, and a nobell peace prize to the one who guesses what the doctors find thats important. Sorry again for the lateness and the long author notes. Thanks for all who reviewed. You honestly don't know how much writers need reviews until you become one, so please review. And the last part is suposed to be hurmorous.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadow: sorry for the wait, classes started back with a bang and I'm hooked on a new gene of fanfic. Between band and Biology and this website i'm not getting much done. Becouse of the wait i made this one at least 500 words more than my usual. I'll try to make the next update more timely. Frankly i feel that i got out of character in this one but i think i like it. I own nothing once again and definitaly not the Hobbit or any works by its author. WARNING: language. And its not all on croc this time. Enjoy.**

Gray eyes blazed with determination, glaring daggers at her target, which, understandably, did nothing. She took a deep breath and reached forward, gripping the doorknob of said target before twisting it open. Panic bubbled up but she shoved it down. She could do this. She was smart. She was strong, she had to be. There was no other alternative Janice was willing to consider, this had to be done. The oddly heavy wooden door creaked opened, admitting her within. She looked up at beady eyes, watching the lights glare off of a bald head. She could do this, there was no way she was going to run and hide like the day before. She was strong, and she wouldn't take no as an answer.

"Mr. Sharp, I would like to request a patient transfer," in no way did her voice wobble, not at all. The warden raised his brows in surprise before gesturing to the seat across from him. Her heels dug into the plush red carpet with every step. Dr. Dials released the breath she didn't even know she was holding and sat down, gripping her briefcase to prevent herself from biting her nails. She could feel all her earlier bravo leave her under his watchful eye. _Everything is going to be fine, no need to panic._ She was panicking. Her eyes glanced at the clock, dread filling her with every tick it gave. In less than an hour she had to meet up with her most violent patient, the same one she didn't dare face.

"Do you have the transfer forms, Dr. Dials?" She flinched and reached into her briefcase, shoving her chess set to the side from where it had been crushing the papers and handed them over. He took them easily enough, now all she needed was for him to agree and she never had to think about that man again. She might loose her advanced salary but anything is better than facing him after that dream. And besides, she could barely talk to Mr. Jones as it was, so this was better for all of them really. Why would they even want her to be his therapist in the first place? She ran at the first sign of danger, and Mr. Jones practically oozed danger. No one was dumb enough to mistake him for anything but a predator, and all could see that she would fit perfectly into the slot of prey. Hell, she made cowering into an art form! There was no way they would leave him in her unfit hands, not for all the fame in the world. Or money for that matter. Now she just had to make them see that too.

"No," she flinched back and stared with doe like eyes, pleading silently for something, anything really, to change his mind. Her hands shook from there place under the desk, dropping her briefcase in the process. _What am I supposed to do now! There's no way I can face him after that dream!_ She shoved down the whimper that lodged it way into her throat.

Warden Sharp observed her with narrowed eyes, taking in her paling face. He almost felt bad for the young doctor, almost. "Dr. Dials, I am not denying you your request as a punishment, but as a necessary," Gray eyes lost some of their fear, showing that she heard him. Good. " Of all his doctors, and I do mean all of them, you have been the only one who even picked up on his intelligence. You have gotten more out of him behavior wise than any before you. None of them have even lasted as long as you, and none could get him out of his rages!"

Janice flushed, knowing how rare it was for her boss to praise anyone, no matter how slight the praise was. She looked down as he continued, not seeing him put her forms in his desk. " In your reports you mentioned he does not seem to like ..alteration, in his schedule. What you're trying to achieve will alter that completely and he could prove dangerous to other doctors." Well now she felt guilty. She didn't even consider that. Janice continued to stare at the carpet, squirming under his judging gaze. _What do I do? He's not dumb, he'll know somethings wrong! What do I even say to him! 'Oh so sorry Croc, I can't look at you today. See I had this perverted dream the other day and now I'm embarrassed. Oh what was that? Why was I embarrassed? Oh, nothing big, just that it was about you.'_

Janice violently twitched at the very thought. Even now she could hear him laughing that terrifying laugh of his before calmly slitting her throat for even thinking of him like that. And of course the guards would let him, no one wanted another Harley Quinn. Maybe she could tell the warden about the dream and force him to move her? No... no that's a horrible idea, they'd just lock her up.She glanced up, noticing he was still talking. _Crap! What did he just say?_

 _"_ -an't accept this until we know if it is you personally who calms him down or your methods. If its the former we couldn't possibly change anything without needless bloodshed, but if its the later we might be able to arrange something suitable for you," Crap that sounded important. Janice stared with wide eyes when he raised one eyebrow inquisitively. _He must of asked a question somewhere in there!_ She nodded quickly. Whatever it she was agreeing with seemed to please the pompous man and he gestured for her to leave. She did, never being one to overstay her welcome. With the dark wood door closing behind her she glanced at her watch. A sigh escaped her lips and she slunk away, drawing odd looks from her coworkers when the usually bouncy woman made her way past them with not even a skip in her steps.

 _So much for being strong and not accepting NO as an answer._ The gray walls blurred in her vision, and in no way was she tearing up, nope not at all. She sniffed despite herself and looked down. She was weak, not even able to tell her boss no. _Weak!_ Oh, she may be a coward, that she'd admit to with pride, but weak? No, that she wouldn't accept. She scowled, brushing back a strand of copper colored hair she squared her shoulders. In only a matter of minutes she had to meet the devil himself and get him to talk. Not many could attest to that!

"I'm not weak, damn-it!" Across from her another female doctor jumped at her exclamation and clutched her jacket in shock. Janice blushed and hurried to her office where some poor pizza guy was supposed to be waiting. She wasn't going to go back on her deal with Mr. Jones, that was sure to get her eaten. At her door stood the poor guy, the same as last time flinching at every noise he heard. She frowned but handed him the money. Now she just had to get her chess set from her briefcase and she was all set for her next session. She froze. _Where's the briefcase?! I just had it didn't I?_ She spun around, searching the ground for that familiar leather case. That same panic from earlier bubbled up. _Did I leave it at home? What do I do!_ That was the only thing she really did in those sessions, and without it she was screwed! Once more she swore out loud, the sound bouncing off the dull walls.

Lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllinebreakllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Killer Croc leaned back in his dented chair and waited for his doctor to show. His gold eyes narrowed at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes. _She'd better not be late again_. The metal groaned in protest as if to empathize his mood. Even now he could feel the guards shifting their weight, shifting away from him as he clicked his claws on the table, the rhythmic sound soothing to him. She had three minutes to go before she was late. Just three short minutes.

 _Clicliclick. Clicliclick._

He moved his gaze to his guards, smirking at their flinching. They were new guards, only one had escorted him before, but even he was cringing. Really, they couldn't hire someone braver than these morons? But then again, these morons hadn't made his hit list yet, so maybe there was something to it. _Too scared to push the button._ So he shouldn't complain too much. His smirk broadened. Maybe he could _play_ with them a little bit before his doctor showed up, and if she was late, he'd just kill them. That would get his displeasure across. He could already feel his eyes sharpen at the thought of blood shed. _Its been too long since the last kill. Way too fucking long._

 _Clicliclick. Clicliclick. Clicliclick...Click._

The one on the end twitched, while the other two forced themselves not to move. Two minutes left. His smirk showed way too many teeth. Killer Croc had been getting antsy lately, and everyone knew it. He was too restless, needing to move. _Too cooped up in small-ass rooms._ What he needed was some fresh air, somewhere he could not brush the ceiling when he stretched. And the sewers didn't count. The muskiness was getting to him. _Who does a guy have to kill to get a little fresh AIR around here!_ His claws practically itched to impale someone.

 _Clicliclick. Clicliclick. clickclick._

One minute left. His smirk turned down right evil in that second and the guards noticed. The clicking stopped and with a grunt he stood up, looming over the shaking men. His blood roared through his veins, urging him on. One of them fumbled for the remote at his murderous look only to drop it in his haste. It was dead silent until he let out a dark chuckle. _Where do they find these people?_ _Morons._ A foul smell stopped him. He backed up slightly, to see which one soiled themselves.

And that's the scene his panicked doctor walked into, clutching a thick book to her chest. Gold eyes looked at her, then glanced down briefly to the book before making his way back to his chair. The clock ticked away. Gray eyes flickered wildly trying to find a reasonable explanation for what she had intruded on, her nose wrinkling at the lingering smell. Not like he was going to tell her. He leaned back and allowed her to settle in before he focused onto her, smirking all the while. A familiar box was placed in front of him by her guard, distracting him briefly. _Good bitch._

She squirmed in front of him, drawing his gaze again. Something was off. She was acting differently, too unfocused, jumpy even. His smirk fell when her wild eyes glanced to him and away again only to repeat the process. Her outfit was unsettled also, her red shirt wrinkled and her hair in disarray, like she had been running agitated fingers through it despite the hair tie. A streak of dark ink stood out in sharp contrast on her pale cheek, adding to the rumpled look. He never seen her so unorganized. _What has she been doing?_

Scaled arms crossed over his chest as he took her in, his eyes glancing more than once at the incorrectly buttoned top and the skin the mistake flashed. He narrowed his eyes at her before brushing her appearance off and once more focusing on his pizza _._ Just to be safe he gave a sniff, taking in the scents before eating with gusto one would expect from someone like him. _She probably fell asleep on her desk or something._ He could definitely see her doing that and that would explain the ink. And the mussed hair and clothes. _Or she had an affair with her guard before she came in._

His claws froze in place at the thought, startling him with the flash of anger it brought. _It would explain the jumpiness and everything else._ Once more he glanced at the hint of flesh peaking through her buttons. He growled violently and forced himself to dig in. It tasted like ash. The whole room flinched at the sound. That couldn't be it. There was no way his little doctor could do something like that. It was just to bold for her. Just to be sure he gave another sniff, instantly calming down at what he smelled. Or rather didn't smell. Though curiously the smell of fear was clouded, like it was mixed with something else. He glared up at her from his dwindling pizza. She was staring at him oddly, like she was evaluating him. Her face showed more panic with each second. He didn't like it.

"You got something on your face Doc," She flinched and ducked her head, quickly rubbing at the spot he pointed to. Lips pulling back into a victorious smirk he reached for the last piece of pizza. Like before when he finished he shoved the box off the table, taking pleasure in the guards reactions. His smirk broadened and he looked back to the woman. His chest tingled when he saw she had only succeeded in smearing the stain further across her face. He frowned at the feeling and wiped his hands on his orange pants.

"Um, Mr. Jones? Would y-you like to talk about anything before we begin?" He looked up from where his eyes had drifted to her shirt and they narrowed. Her face was red and her eyes oddly clear. The ink stood out sharply against the new color on her and he snorted.

"No, not really," She nodded, a look of relief flashing across her face. He furrowed his brow and glared at the guards again. For some reason he felt disappointed. Which didn't make much sense to him. Why was he disappointed, it was no like he wanted her want to talk to him. _Or maybe it's because she's not so different after all._ He frowned and clicked his teeth, still not looking at her. He didn't like this. This whole session was wrong somehow. _Could just kill her and get it over with now._ The tingling stopped only to be replaced with an odd throb, deepening his anxiety.

"Um, Mr. Jones? I wanted to try som-something new," Glancing back at her he glared into her eyes. _She's the cause of that fucking feeling._ Gray eyes looked away and she shifted the book towards him. Sneering he snatched it and scowled at the cover, ignoring her squeak when his claws came too close to her fingers. "Um... it's a book." One scaled eyebrow ridge lifted and she flushed. _Moron._

"I got eyes Doc, I know what it is," growling lightly he flipped it over and looked over the back. Her face reddened further and she rubbed at the smudge on her cheek. With a snort he tossed it back at her, watching her fumble for the book. Her hands shook as she placed it back on the table and looked away. Clearing her throat she began again.

"I was hoping we could come to an arrangement l-like with the chess game, only you could take the b-book with you when you leave," He grunted and leaned back, golden eyes sizing her up before flickering to the empty box on the ground. _Better see what she's willing to negotiate with._ "And when you finish a chapter I'll bring more food," He smirked down at her. He knew what he wanted, and this time it wasn't food.

" Not food this time doc. I've a better idea. I'll read your book, and in return, you'll let me out," He grinned at the stunned look on her face and the jerks the guards gave, pretending that earlier feeling didn't happen. She sputtered and nearly choked as he leaned closer, resting his heavy hands on the table and getting an eye full from her misbuttoned shirt. "Not like that stupid. The other prisoners get free time, I want some too, only I want it outside," She looked at the guards, all of which shook their heads at her. Once more he crossed his arms, waiting on her answer. He could just see the gears turning in that head of hers.

"I, um, I'll have to talk to the warden for that," It was barely a whisper but he heard it clearly. His grin grew as the guards protested. He swiped the book back from her and flipped once more to the back. She jerked back and scuffled away. Quickly she stood up and edged towards the door. "Our times up Mr. Jones," Gold eyes flickered to her and a frown made its way to his face at her frantic behavior. Usually he was the first to leave. The wrongness settled deep in his gut like a heavy stone.

"Whats the rush, doc?" She squeaked and flushed brighter then ever and yanked on the door handle, forgetting it was locked. He rolled his eyes and ignored her panic until she was well down the hall. He looked at the book again, finally focusing on it. _The Hobbit uh?_

Suddenly he froze, discreetly sniffing the air. _What the hell is that?_ It was familiar, but not overly. Her sent lingered, along with a heavy dose of fear, but under that was something sweet he wasn't used to coming from her. _Is that what I think that is?_ He glanced back at the shut door, not paying his guards any attention. _Not possible. It_ could explain a lot about today though if it was. Only it wasn't possible, unless it was for one of her guards. He frowned and growled, finally moving to follow his waiting guards. The smell of urine made him grin darkly and one of the morons shifted. He needed to know more before he could properly process what he smelled from his doctor.

As he passed the door the lingering hint of arousal clung to him and he breathed it in greedily.

 **Shadow: it could be better and not so rushed feeling but eh. I'm trying to hint at developing feelings in croc that might not have come across well. Please reveiw and give feedback. And know i have another scene for Janice to feak out over, only this time its real. Not too sure when it will happen though.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shadow: so i kind of feel guilty for skipping January so heres a sceond for Febuary. I had a wonderful idea for this story and if all goes well there will be more to it than i started out planning. A lot more. Like maybe more than one story. And all the side moodiness is for the plot. It would be longer but i need sleep. I'm running on fumes as it is. Yay for college... WARNING: More bad language. I own nothing. I'm apologising in advance for Vicki's behavoir. I have no idea how she really is and am using her to get a future point across.**

For the first time in months Janice was hot, and nearly desperate for a cool breeze. In the middle of a Gotham winter the very thought sounded insane, but here she was sweating like it was a southern summer. On a Saturday no less! One of her only off days. With a groan she looked around her, looking for her water bottle. The overly bright fauna seemed to burn its way into her mind, reminding her where she was. Frankly she found it mildly depressing that the bright colors she saw around her were almost a shock to her system from her years in a town that devoured cheer. _If only it wasn't so hot in here!_ She glanced at one of the guards glaring at her, and she took back any pity she might of felt for the black clad man. She swore the guards were moodier than pubescent girl sometimes. One minute they were helping her pick up her papers the next they were knocking them out of her hands. _All because Croc wanted to go outside._ It was a reasonable request really, all the other inmates got free time. Of course they got it in the break room, not the gardens. And if it wasn't so hot those same PMSing men would be enjoying themselves.

With a huff of annoyance she looked away from the burning stare, taking in the suffocating nature. Ever since she took that horrible remote from one of them they had been acting rude to her. Just subtle looks she barely caught, but now it was getting down right hostile. Glares and 'accidental' shoves. _If they want to treat someone like an animal they should just leave me out of it._ A flash of movement caught her attention, and it took a few moments before her brain caught up with what she was seeing. One red eyebrow raised as she took in the scene, ignoring the heat in her cheeks. _Whatever works I guess._ Her charge that had forced her out on a weekend into this heat was sitting in the botanical fountain, probably causing untold damage to the stone. As long as it didn't come out of her bank account she was fine. In fact if her shirt wasn't white she might of joined him, or at least wait for him to leave before getting in. _Or not at all._

She had to admit though, this was the most relaxed she'd ever seen the man. He might even be asleep over there. His piercing eyes were closed and his head, for once not hunched over, was leaning back allowing the fountain water to run down his scales and his chest. The ever present bandages he wrapped around his hands and feet were removed, possibly to keep them dry. He looked rather comfortable in the water. His broad shoulders stretched with his breathing, almost glistening. She couldn't help but take in the way his dark scales contrasted against the lighter green surrounding him. This side of croc was preferable to the angry man he usually was in his sessions. His claws reflected the light, reminding her that even this calm Croc was still highly dangerous. A sudden flash of gold drew her wondering attention to his eyes, now open and watching her with that calculating look of his.

Red rushed to her cheeks and with a squeak she looked away from those golden orbs. _He knows._ She twitched and focused on the surrounding greenery. There was no way he knew about the dream, how could he? Though he had been acting odd at the last session. Oh he had still been dangerously angry, only when she glanced at him he would be staring at her like he was now. It was unnerving. She saw the same look on her other patient and could recognize what it was. _Processing knew information._ That was the only way she could describe it. _Now I know what prey feel like._

Avoiding his gaze she looked around the botanical gardens, squinting at the brightness of it all. It still at the Gothic gargoyles one would expect from Gotham and the gray stone slabs, but that's were the similarities ended. After living in the city for even such a short time the colors burned, but it was better than spending this outing in the cold. Frankly she had been stunned when Warden Sharp suggested, ahem, _told her_ , to take him to the green house. _Can't believe he even let Croc out at all._ He said if Croc had been acting out like he usually did he would of said no, but with his current behavior saying no would just cause conflict. Only his ever present doctor would have to watch over him and ensure he didn't try to escape. _I don't know what I would do if he did honestly, I'd probably run screaming again._

She had to admit though, he hadn't done anything to warrant her usual fear. Other than his size and general demeanor, he hadn't let out even a vocal threat or growl. The staring was unnerving, but as long as she didn't directly look at him she was fine. The only problem was the heat. She had already taken off her doctors coat and rolled up her sleeves to ward off the heat. What she really wanted to do was shed her shirt but there was no way she was EVER doing that with him staring at her like that. _What would he do if I did?_ She frowned. She didn't know. Would he not care? His police reports never had anything about his sexual orientation, hell with his condition he might not have any libido at all. And its not exactly something people would ask him either. _I'm not thinking about this, nope._ She cursed her easily flustered cheeks.

Meekly she took a peek at him, and seeing him still watching she turned away. Right into the line of sight of the PMSing guard, who was now looking at her with confusion clear on his face. _Crap! He saw that._ She could just imagine what he was thinking and none of it was good. Squeezing her eyes shut she let out a silent curse and rubbed at her sweating brow. _Great just what I need to top off such a WONDERFULL week._ First the dream, then the medical faculty was getting into the papers where she should have been, and now she had to sacrifice her off day to spend with moody men. She didn't even know why the medical faculty was in the papers, only that they had been more excited then normal, which she could understand. What she didn't understand was why some woman wanted to interview _her_ for their accomplishment. _Vicky Vale_. Janice heard of her before, and she was not looking forward to meeting her either.

The whole department had acting odd around her too, which confused her. The only thing that had been different lately was the whole running away screaming scene she was denying ever happened. But in her defense any sane person would of done the same in her situation! It wasn't as bad as the guards though. All she asked was who set Croc off and now the whole department was against her. It was petty and childish and she was not going to indulge them. In high school if she ignored the bullies they eventually left her alone, and that's what she's going to do now. It had nothing to do with her panicking at confrontations, not at all _._

 _At least Croc was reading the book I brought him._ The fact the only positive thing was caused by a mistake on her part wasn't missed by her. She wasn't sure if he was enjoying it though. Getting anything from him was like pulling teeth, and as far as she knew he could be faking it just to get his way. A sigh escaped her and she leaned back on her bench, discreetly glancing at her patient still in the fountain. It was too hot in here, but too cold outside. Clearly Croc thought the same. One of his guards was glaring at him, clearly agitated by the damage he was doing to the stone work. She noticed that this one had a real vendetta against the inmate, one that was only getting worse. He even dragged the others into it with him. And somehow he always managed to get Croc duty. _Probably because what's-his-face isn't afraid of him._ They just rubbed each other wrong. She bet he was the one to piss off the giant the other day.

"Times up Croc," She jumped at the voice, wincing at the venom practically dripping off the words. _This is why Croc's so angry. If he gets sent into a rampage I'm running._ It wouldn't hurt them to treat him like a person. It might even speed up this rehab process. "I said times up Croc!" Killer croc didn't move, only opened his raging eyes to the man and gave him a look that chilled her to the bone.

"Fuck off Cash!" He lumbered to his feet, water running down his chest and arms. For once he wasn't hunched over but standing to his full height, frighting her even more, but she still couldn't get the look out of her mind. _Shit! Its going to end in bloodshed and they'll blame me!_ Quickly scrambling to her feet she took a step backward, readying herself for a mad dash to the exit. Panic flashed through her when her foot slipped in her heel, sliding off the sweat collected there. She gave a loud squeak when her palms and backside collided against the rough stone. It stung, but her pride was the real casualty. Squeezing her eyes shut, she laid where she fell and prayed for a hole to open up under her and swallow her. Hearing a humorless chuckle she peeked out from under her drenched bangs to see her charge. He continued to stare at her even as he scooped up his bandages. The look was mostly gone from his eyes, leading her to conclude that the danger had passed.

"Fucking klutz," Flushing she picked herself up, refusing to look at the man. _Fantastic. Now I just need to rip my skirt and this week will be complete._ She nearly fell again when he walked past, but thankfully he finally turned away and paid her no attention. His focus solely on the door out, leaving a wet trail in his wake. The guard dubbed Cash growled under his breath and followed him with his armed escort. It didn't take long for them to depart, leaving only her and her customary guard. The PMSing guard. _Bob? Tim? No, maybe Larry?_ She glanced back to him to see him giving her a calculating look. Winching she tried to brush off the dirt stuck to her sweat slick hands. _Why is it always me?_ Why couldn't it be Dr. Young or Waltzer? Or Mr. Zsasz' doctor, whoever they were. _Or is that Dr. Young also?_ She really needed to get out of her office more.

"Are you ok?" She nodded quickly, angry at herself for the fall and him for his recent behavior. In fact she was angry with the world in general. All she wanted was to go home and pretend today never happened, maybe take a nap. "By the way, you ripped your skirt," He chuckled. She looked down, clearly seeing her Tweety bird underthings. _I cursed myself didn't I._

 _Llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllinebreakllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll_

Janice skulked through the depressing building, still shivering from the winds outside. Her petite hands were pressed firmly behind her on the ripped fabric, trying in vain to prevent anymore frigid air chilling her further. With a shudder she imagined what Croc had gone through, soaking wet as he was. _We really need to invest in him a shirt. If we can clothe Bane Killer Croc shouldn't be too much of a stretch._ She looked down, just thinking about him in a shirt, hiding his huge chest and arms. Her brow furrowed at the thought. Groaning she rushed to her office, mentally cursing herself. It was just one DREAM! One little self-conscious fantasy that didn't even get far! Nothing changed! It was more of a nightmare than anything! He even insulted her today!Clearly he's nothing like her dream of him.

 _He did say the same thing in his session though._ That had to be the one of her most embarrassing moments, hearing those fantasy induced words coming from him in real life nearly stopped her heart. _Coincidences like that should be illegal._ There was no way he knew of the dream. There had to be a logical explanation for his behavior.

Now was not the time for this, now was time for finding her spare clothes and escaping home. Without anyone seeing her. The staff knew she was watching Croc today, and seeing her sweat drenched and clothes ripped form might give the wrong impression. Already she had to duck behind a door to avoid someone. She practically sighed in relief when her door came into view, only stopping to find her keys. _Can't wait to get home a shower._ She frowned when the door opened without her inserting the key.

She always locked her door, _always._ She was a paranoid coward and the scenario where an escaped inmate hid in her room came to her often. There was no way she would ever leave the door unlocked. _I had a nightmare like this once._ Now should she open the door or run screaming, flashing her cartooned underwear as she went? _Decisions decisions..._

"Come on, where is it?" she jumped at the hissed voice, barely containing her squeak. The voice was female, and clearly looking for something. So not a murderer than, hopefully. She looked at her door feeling the familiar fear settle in again. _Am I getting robbed?_ Should she confront the robber? What would they even want in her office? The most expense thing in there was her chair. She didn't even keep her files in there! That was all on her computer at home and in her beloved briefcase, which had been returned to her after stupidly leaving it in her bosses office.

A cold breeze brushed her rear, driving the fear away with a flash of anger. _I'm too tired for this crap!_ With a scowl she hopped was fiercer than she felt she twisted the knob and walked in. For once that red-headed temper was going to be brought out. The tall woman looked up stunned, not expecting anyone to catch her. _Why is everyone so tall in this City!_ Distantly she had to admit that at 5'3 most people were taller than her. Steeling herself from the distracting thought she focused her frustration into staring down the intruder. She was a professional therapist for the criminally insane, this should be a piece of cake.

"It was unlocked, and I left my purse in there," Janice could only give her a blank look. The other woman flushed and shuffled around as if the so called purse would leap out. Looking up at her ice blonde hair recognition flared in her. _Its the reporter! This wasn't scheduled till Friday!_ She glared. No, she was not dealing with this today. If she was so desperate for a story she could go talk to Zsasz, he always had something to say.

"What are you doing in my office," good she sounded angry, for once she was going to control the situation how she wanted to. Ms. Vale looked her up and down, distinctly not impressed. She wanted to snarl. She had a rough day today! If she thought she could do better she could watch the cannibal! Walking to her chair she sank into it, glaring at the blonde, being careful not to flash her underwear. "What do you want Ms. Vale"

The reporter scanned her before settling into the opposite chair, not as comfortable as her own. "I wanted to talk to you about the medical departments findings," _Yes that would explain the breaking and entering. Because that's a perfectly normal thing to do!_ She sighed and leaned back. She was not in that department! Those med guys never told anyone anything, so how could she know what they found?

"Ms. Vale, I'm a therapist. I might be a doctor but not that kind," Janice sounded like a professional at that moment, and bitterly she wondered why she couldn't sound like that during her sessions. _It's not fair!_

"You are Dr. Dials right? Your Killer Crocs doctor, so I think I'm in the right room," The woman smirked smugly at her, tapping on her name plaque, still baring smudges from restless hands. What's he done now? Couldn't she just catch a break! _God! I want a nap!_

"I am, and you still haven't told me why you're here," She was hoping she was channeling her mothers unimpressed look. She might of instead looked constipated, she wasn't sure, but hoped it was the former.

"I wanted to talk about him, how he's been acting and how the new findings would fix his behavior," Darn, she only understood the first part and wasn't trilled. And how would the medical departments findings fix him? Shouldn't they of told her if something important was found? Was his disease progressing?

"Ms. Vale, this interview was made for Friday, and any further questions will have to wait. As for his behavior, as of late it has been improving and any of his personal doctors could tell you the same. I'll tell you no more today and I would like for you to leave and not break into my office. Non of his files are in here and next time I'll report you," She could feel the bite to her words and inwardly cheered. The sooner this woman left the sooner she could put on her other clothes and go home. Home was all she cared about right now and this woman was getting in the way. The reporter glared at Janice, before standing and turning to go.

"This isn't over Dr. The public deserves to know about its criminals, and if someone found a way to subdue that animal they need to know," she shut the door behind her and Janice knew she had a new problem. With a groan she dropped her head on the desk and whined before repeating the action. _At least I'll be in the papers._ Her shoulders shook slightly and she didn't know if it was laughter or tears that caused it.

 **Shadow: I acually like this chapter, but that might be because of how tired i am. I want to thank the reviewers and i'm sorry if i don't respond to the reviews, i try to answer them in the wrighting. I was really excited to find that my average of two reviews per chapter, excluding 1, was topped to THREE reveiws! I'm not kidding, i was happy. I have hope for the same if not more for this one.**

 **The reporter part was going to be longer but i got tired along the way and decided Janice's embarassement can wait a few more chapters. And Vicki Vale is in Orgins if anyone was wondering, and she is BLONDE! in one of the cartoons she was a red head. And why are all the women to tall in batman? most People i know** _ **barely**_ **hit 5'5, includeing me. Please review and keep reading. I'm going to bed.**


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